Castilla-La Mancha Craftsmanship awards La familia Bot, Joy, and Yakisugi

The General Directorate of Tourism, Commerce, and Handicrafts, under the Ministry of Economy, Business, and Employment, has granted the Castilla-La Mancha Regional Handicraft Awards for the year 2026. The resolution, signed on September 24, 2026, by the general director Aránzazu Pérez Gil, is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha No. 190, dated October 2, 2026, with the official reference 2026/6974.

The awards are governed by Order 55/2017, of March 9, from the Ministry of Economy, Business, and Employment, which establishes the regulatory bases, and were announced through the Resolution of 03/02/2026 of the General Directorate of Tourism, Commerce, and Handicrafts (D.O.C.M. No. 48, of March 11, 2026). The call for entries includes three categories: “Design applied to handicrafts,” “Product,” and “Entrepreneurship.”

The total committed funding amounts to 16,000 euros: 8,000 euros for the three main prizes and 8,000 euros divided among the eight finalists, who receive 1,000 euros each.

The three main prizes

• Design applied to handicrafts Award: “La familia Bot,” by craftsman Gustavo del Pino Rueda with designer Arturo del Saz Salazar, endowed with 4,000 euros.
• Product Award: “Joy,” by craftswoman Virginia Alonso González, endowed with 2,000 euros.
• Entrepreneurship Award: “Yakisugi,” by craftsman Maarten Van Ham, endowed with 2,000 euros.

The eight finalists

In the Design applied to handicrafts category, the finalists were, in this order, “Menina,” by Atelier Creativo CB with designer Guillermo Román Bustamante; “In my dreams,” by Jesús Zarza Cáceres with designer Ana María Moya; “Tilsim,” by Alfarería Hermanos Peño SL with designer Natalia Ortega; and “Lum’4,” by Raquel Berea Amenedo with designer Mónica González.

In the Product category, the finalists were “Babel,” by María Ángeles Delgado López, and “Noor,” by Hamid Mihanyar. In Entrepreneurship, they were “Alaría Cerámica,” by Alaría Cerámica CB, and “Doña Inés,” by Antonio Benito Gigante. All of them receive 1,000 euros.

A procedure with two dismissed appeals

The process began on June 15, 2026, when the head of the General Directorate appointed the members of the technical committee. On July 6, 2026, the Handicrafts Service issued the candidacy qualification report, and on that same day, the technical committee met to evaluate them according to the criteria of Article 8 of Order 55/2017.

On August 27, 2026, the provisional resolution proposal was formulated and notified by electronic means through the headquarters of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, with a ten-day period for allegations. Within that period, two submissions were received regarding the admission and assessment of certain candidacies; upon examination, they were not upheld and did not alter the scores or the order of priority. The final proposal was formulated on September 22, 2026.

Deadlines and appeals

Against the resolution, which does not exhaust administrative remedies, an appeal for reversal (recurso de alzada) may be filed before the head of the Ministry of Economy, Business and Employment within one month from the day following its publication or notification, in accordance with articles 121 and 122 of Law 39/2015, of October 1.

The publication closes the 2026 call and confirms the distribution of awards that recognize design, product, and generational renewal in the regional artisan sector, a field of activity dispersed throughout the territory and mostly composed of small-scale workshops. For the workshops and artisans of Castilla-La Mancha, the agreement also sets the assessment precedent and the criteria applied by the technical committee for future editions.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, no. 190, of October 2, 2026, section III, page 33712 (official reference: 2026/6974).